For Want of a Cup of
by illuminaite
Summary: Balancing between the life of a college student and a full-time worker, Hibari's life settled into a familiar routine. A new year arrives, along with a new face on campus—one who simply refuses to leave him alone. 1869/6918 AU


Summary: Balancing between the life of a college student and a full-time worker, Hibari's life settled into a familiar routine. A new year arrives, along with a new face on campus—one who simply refuses to leave him alone. 1869/6918 AU

Rating: M for future Mature Content.

Warnings: Yaoi, language, violence, (minor) character death, alternate universe.

Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and all its characters belong to Amano Akira.

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><p><strong>For Want of a Cup of...<strong>

**_Chapter 1 - Warm Chocolate Melting Cake_  
><strong>

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><p>"Illuminaite" was the first thing that he'd ever said to her.<p>

Her look was dubious, at best. "Excuse me?"

"That's the perfect name. For m—our restaurant. I could fund it, and you love to cook. What do you say? Join me?" He extended a hand, waiting for her to grasp it—waiting for her to give confirmation.

"No."

And that was how their first meeting ended.

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><p>Mukuro arrived at the designated classroom, the unused kitchen in the derelict boy's dormitory on the far side of campus, thirty minutes earlier than the start time. He'd planned on being so incredibly early that he could go ahead and familiarize himself with the classroom—where the knives were, where the blender was, where the freezer was—before anyone else had even set foot in the building. Arriving early had always done him favors in terms of the teacher, considerably easing the difficulty with which he had passed through the first two years of his stay at Namimori College. It was for this reason that he had been both stunned and somewhat wary of the raven-haired individual that was already sitting on cutting platform. He'd considered backing out of the classroom until he had a better grasp on who this stranger was, but upon noticing the nonchalant expression that gracefully ignored him, he decided to pretend not to see him either, going about his business like it was no one else's.<p>

While he did this, Hibari showed not a single reaction. It was rare of anyone else to ever arrive as early to class as him. In fact, the teacher had left the room to make some last minute preparations so Hibari had been alone. His eyes had flicked up for just long enough to take note of the other's presence upon hearing footsteps rapt gently, almost inaudibly, before going back to stare at nothing in particular. If he ignored him, it was less likely that he'd have to talk to him or make an effort to put on a facade of friendliness.

Mukuro soon found the blender hidden underneath the center island of the room before going on to take a quick stock of the various knives and gimmicks that hung off a rack on the window-side wall. He turned to the line of white bulky machines towards the back of the classroom, each one of them humming quietly as they operated, planning on memorizing the locations of specific ingredients that he knew he'd be using. Until a rude—in his eyes at least—interruption from the only other person in the room.

"The teacher is going to give the class a tour. I don't see why you're going through it now," Hibari mumbled, just loud enough for Mukuro to hear over the shifting of kitchen supplies. He hadn't looked up at Mukuro.

The indigo-haired male paused, midway through reaching for a large block of cheddar. "I highly doubt that the teacher will be very thorough about it. I like to know where things are. After all, I do not believe you would be able to tell me how many knives over from the left the ceramic composite Urasuki is, even after the _tour_."

"Five knives over. It's next to the Santoku." Hibari finally looks up at him when he answers, daring him to challenge him again.

"How many rivets are in the knife with the composite handle and Granton edge?" The question was shot off with an edge of bitter relish.

"Two. Every other knife with a composite handle here has three."

Mukuro gave three slow claps with a languid smirk. "Did you know that because you actually already looked through the knives—as you told me was unnecessary—or because you knew I would ask you a trick question?" His artificially matched eyes met with the other's cloudy blue. "Consider me impressed."

"Che, I don't suppose you're going to ask me between which two other spice bottles the cinnamon is?" He gave a small shrug. "I suppose you could say I've taken a look around."

"Between the cilantro and the clary sage. They have placed all the spices alphabetically, which is rather considerate of them, I must say." Mukuro chuckled at this. "Do you happen to sleep, eat and live in here as well? Strange of you to be here so early, after all."

"What does it matter to you?" Hibari had no particular interest in answering.

"Oh, just concerned for a fellow classmate~. I do hope you are actually attending this class and not here to initiate a mass shooting or anything of the sort. As attractive as you are, I do not plan to die just yet."

The raven-haired male frowned, not even bothering to defend himself. "I hope you realize that flattery will get you nowhere."

"Well placed flattery always leaves a good impression." A wry smirk. "Something that you aren't very good at, it seems."

"It's unnecessary—it's a waste of time," Hibari replied impassively.

"I suppose everything is easy for an emotionless rock like you, hm~?" Mukuro mimicked Hibari's expression and tone, feigning it to the degree where he might as well have not been breathing.

Hibari blinks back at him, biting back a snarky retort. "Sorry, I'm being rude. My name is Hibari Kyouya."

"Rude? Oh, no, not at all. If there is anyone who is _rude_ here it would have to be me. My name is Rokudo Mukuro, but I must say I would have thought your last name was Sulky." He flipped several strands of his waist-length ponytail that had gone out of place.

The raven resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "So much for good first impressions." He looked away again.

Mukuro's expression didn't change. "But of course, it is a pleasure to meet you too, Hibari Kyouya." At this, a confused looking blond stumbled in, muttering haphazardly in fragmented Japanese about...the US embassy? "Are you lost?" Mukuro asked this in smooth English. It took several minutes before he managed to redirect the kid, who was mumbling 'arigatou, arigatou' all the while, to the admissions of the campus. By then, several more students, thankfully appearing to be well acquainted with where they were, had filed in beside the two ovens, bickering away. Mukuro didn't spare any glances at Hibari.

Hibari had been staring out the window all the while, not deeming the other students interesting enough to be worth his time or attention. His gaze drifted forward, however, when the teacher walked in, students filing in promptly afterward. He sighed, straightening up and giving the teacher the minimum amount of attention necessary as everyone else found empty spaces to occupy. The teacher began to rattle off a string of instructions.

"Good afternoon, sensei." Mukuro made his greeting with a charming smile and a small bow. The rest of the students exchanged glances before following suit, giving a greeting in turn.

A grunt was heard from the raven-haired male. It was so useless to pretend to be polite to the teacher. Their persona of being the perfect students wouldn't last.

Mukuro couldn't withhold a snort, garnering a few more looks before settling into his suave smile yet again. True to Hibari's words, the teacher began the lesson with a tour, bringing the students through the various sections of the room, equipment, and the proper operation and safety procedures for each. A few other students were studiously copying everything down into legal pads while Mukuro trailed right along beside the teacher, asking a question every—what seemed like—thirty seconds and sending the teacher careening off onto another topic entirely.

Hibari trailed off behind the group, keeping a good meter away from the mass—the indigo-haired student, in particular, who was at the front of the swarm. It was evident that he wasn't listening all the while. Why bother, when he already knew everything the teacher was going over?

"Oh, so the red indent on the back of this blender actually houses a strainer, sensei? How very interesting..." Mukuro took in all the details avidly, filing them away in neat categories for future use. He'd never been in a kitchen this complex nor did he know anyone in the class on a personal level. In a sense, it was his shot at a brand new playground. The only thing that wasn't perfect was the irksome raven-haired male that oh-so-clearly blew everyone else off with his high-falutin' authority. He was quite glad to find that the teacher had finally finished going through the layout—though he certainly hadn't helped much with his pinpoint questions—and asked the class to gather near the first oven.

"I'll be assigning you each to a partner and let you guys give a test run of the kitchen. Then I'll get an idea of where each of you are in terms of ability."

Great, Hibari thought. He didn't have a choice as to which person he'd be partnered up with. Regardless of who he was going to be paired up with, he had to at least attempt to get along with his classmates. He'll have to get familiar with them running around the kitchen. He sighed.

Mukuro internally cheered a little, glad to have an opportunity to test the waters with some of his fellow classmates. There had to be a few people of interest among the dozen or so students. The teacher began to read off the attendance list, pairing people off as he confirmed their presence. "Rokudo Mukuro?" He made eye contact with the teacher, giving an incline of his head in recognition. There was a tenseness in his posture as his eyes fell on Hibari. Surely, surely, his luck wasn't bad enough that out of the dozen students, he'd be paired with him.

"Hibari Kyouya?"

Oh, the cringing.

"Yes, sensei."

The teacher looked up from his list between the two. "You'll be working with Rokudo-kun today, then." Hibari nodded, shooting an irritated glare at Mukuro as he made their way to their station. He seemed to non-verbally convey the idea that if Mukuro made any mistake, he'd be on the receiving end of his wrath.

Mukuro gave a completely fake smile that reflected every bit of Hibari's opinions. "Fancy meeting you again, Hibari-kun~."

As soon as all the students had found their placed the teacher continued on with his instruction. "Each pair must create a dessert with whatever ingredients they may like in the kitchen. If you feel as if the kitchen is lacking something that is necessary for your recipe, I will tell you only this: substitution, substitution, substitution. You have an hour and a half to make enough for the whole class and me to sample. Sample, not eat, mind you. Any questions?"

"Yes. Sensei, I was wondering if you wanted us to detail our recipe?" It was a genuine question, but the chances were, only Hibari really cared about that.

The teacher nodded. "That would be for the best. Any allergies and questionable combinations can be rooted out much easier. The measurements won't be necessary, however. Does that answer your question, Hibari-kun?"

"Yes, sensei. Thank you, sensei." Hibari nodded briefly, quickly moving to take inventory while Mukuro made a bee-line for the stash of chocolate in one of the drawers.

Hibari raised a brow when Mukuro came back, silently asking, no, demanding, for an explanation.

Mukuro gave Hibari a needlessly cheeky grin. "We are making dessert, are we not?" That explained everything, obviously.

"It isn't as if chocolate is a necessity." Regardless, Hibari took them.

"What dessert doesn't have chocolate?" Mukuro's eyes sparkled with victory.

"Crème brûlée, for one." Hibari stared. He could list plenty, but it was easier to go cliche first.

"I see some of you are really prolific. Go ahead and get started!" With that, the teacher went to his desk, giving the students a couple minutes to get started before making rounds to help. Mukuro glanced at the teacher before smiling back at Hibari.

"Crème brûlée is burnt cream, not dessert. Chocolate cake, however, is a shining pinnacle of any connoisseur that knows their desserts."

"Chocolate cake, however, is overdone. I imagine that was the first thing that at least half of the class thought of." He took out a notepad and began penning down ingredients.

Indignant horror would be a very apt description of what crossed Mukuro's face. "I have confidence that my chocolate cake could blow anyone else's out of the water. There's no question in terms of competition when you can successfully pull off something normally mediocre, brilliantly." At that Mukuro leaned over to peek at the list, wondering if he could get a clear enough view to dissect something about Hibari from his handwriting. This class would be an excellent chance to hone his psychological knowledge.

Hibari's writing was neat and precise, small but not too much so. He rolled his eyes and gave Mukuro the list as a response, confident that his own recipe would satisfy him. Taking the list, Mukuro set an elbow on the counter, examining it closely, subconsciously chewing on his lower lip at the mentions of chocolate on it. "Kufufu, is this a family recipe, by any chance?"

"Does it matter? You're nosey." He hated inquiries like those that Mukuro gave him; they were getting to close to personal information. Hibari looked at him expectantly, waiting for any objections to the recipe. He was ready to prove that his recipe was better than Mukuro's if the other had any complaints.

Mukuro began gathering the listed ingredients—a stick of soft butter, eggs, cocoa and so on—waving at Hibari to measure out the water and sugar. "I am interested. Is that such a crime? There are several flourishes in this recipe that are not typically used, so I was simply wondering."

He shrugged Mukuro's comment off. "And who are you to know?" Hibari grunted, pulling out measuring cups and bowls, doing exactly what was necessary. The way he placed all the supplies was too methodical to be normal.

"I make worshipping chocolate a pastime of mine. Shame on me if I did not know, hm?" Mukuro merely eyed Hibari's work with an amused leer, taking a bowl and setting up the ingredients for the frosting. For the frosting, he was intending on using his personal recipe that he considered perfectly rich with the right amount of cocoa. He staked his claim on the bag of chocolate chips, fudge, and other decor before his competitors could run through it all.

Hibari almost looked grossed out by the amount of chocolate, but he shut up. So long as the other didn't make it too sweet, he could deal with it. He doubted that even he would be able to mess his recipe up. "Rokudo, you're overdoing it."

Mukuro laid everything out, nodding to himself as he deemed the supplies to be satisfactory. "With the chocolate?" He considered it, stepping back before continuing, "I am not."

Hibari frowned, taking more measurements to make the batter. "You are. It's going to be too sweet."

"We can lessen the amount of sugar we put in to compensate if that's what you are concerned about." Mukuro gave Hibari a look. "Or do you have something against chocolate?"

"Not in particular. I just think that people don't appreciate anything else." Hibari waved him off, muttering a soft 'fine, fine, chocolate is naturally bitter anyways.'

The Italian took another measurement before finishing the preparations for the frosting. He'd have to wait until the cake was finished baking before he could pour the milk in and solidify the powder. "What would you have liked to make then, if you think chocolate cake is so 'overdone'?" He gave the stick of laid out butter a little prod with a steak knife. They'd have to give it a bit more time to soften.

Hibari shrugged. "Red velvet, maybe. It's appreciated more in America than it is here." He glanced at the flour. "I would have preferred to make flourless chocolate cake instead, actually, as far as chocolate cake goes."

Mukuro looked down at his watch, brushing some hair aside. "There is still slightly over an hour left over. We could adapt to that if you think it would help our prospects." Not because he wants to eat it or anything.

Hibari glanced at the filled measuring cups. "Warm chocolate melting cake. It'd be a waste to dump the flour back. We won't need frosting, but we could use that chocolate you have there. Go, melt the chocolate and the butter. We should be able to finish the aesthetics just in time."

"Isn't that a cake particular to the Carnival cruise line?" His expression shows that his interest is quite piqued by a new recipe. "How would you know the recipe for that?"

"I've adapted it a bit." Hibari scrawled out another recipe for Mukuro to follow. "Does it particularly matter at this moment? We need enough time to ensure that all goes well and it appears pleasing to the eye."

"Considering the ingredients here, it looks like there's enough portion for perhaps one person, two people at most. We'll need to make enough for several in order for everyone to taste it."

Hibari rolled his eyes. "Obviously. You would make the cake by the dozen, at least. Even you should be able to multiply, correct? They're samples, they don't have to be particularly large servings."

"I'm not so sure about that. I might possibly need a calculator for the fractions. I've always been weak to those little...things." Mukuro hummed slightly as he spoke the jibe, focusing on the distinct lack of leavening in the recipe. "Is this more like a brownie? A side of ice cream would work well with this, I'd imagine."

Hibari sighed, waving Mukuro off to go work. He was wasting time, after all, and Hibari's patience was running thin. "Vanilla. Vanilla ice cream, that is."

"Yes, Hibari. Vanilla. There is a tub of vanilla in the freezer. But we can worry about the specifically vanilla ice cream after the cake gets into the oven." Mukuro took out another stick of butter, frowning before double checking the recipe. Relieved that it was asking for melted butter rather than softened butter, he placed both sticks into a bowl with some dark chocolate and shoved it into the industrial microwave. "Do you have the—."

Hibari frowned, making an about-face and stalking over to Mukuro. "Use a heavy saucepan, not the microwave. What do you think you're doing?"

"Using the microwave." Mukuro replied with an expression of pure snark. "What did you think I was using?"

"We don't have time for fooling around." Hibari opened the microwave, grabbing the bowl and closing the microwave surprisingly gingerly for his mood. He emptied the contents into a saucepan, setting it on the stove over a light flame. He preheated the oven too, in the meanwhile.

"I do not believe this is 'fooling around' as you call it. More like you're bickering needlessly about trivialities." Mukuro just watched Hibari, before giving a small sight and going to retrieve the ramekins for the batter.

"Trivialities? Microwaves don't allow you to control the flavoring at all."

Mukuro felt his eye twitch at that. "Microwaves get the job done. I believe you said that we were short on time?"

"I never said that." Hibari watched the chocolate and butter melt for a moment before setting to work with the flour and eggs. "I said we would finish in time."

Mukuro took over watching the pan, turning down the heat slightly so as to not heat it too quickly. "And in that statement there is an inherent fact that we cannot afford to waste any time, therefore it is precious." He had little reservations for glaring at people but he found he'd rather not strain his eyes on Hibari, opting to look around for the teacher instead.

Assuming that the samples were half the size of an actual serving, Hibari decided that he would only need to use the recipe to make a dozen servings, quickly calculating the amount of each ingredient that was necessary. Simple math, really. He made the batter quickly, separating the eggs with almost too much precision. It definitely looked like he was at home in the kitchen. His work was finished quickly, just in time for him to order Mukuro to take the melted solution off the stove to let it cool. "Now, are you going to stand there, or are you going to help me pour these into the sampling dishes?"

Mukuro's smile was stiff. "I think I will just stand here and do absolutely nothing because I take joy in making your life difficult out of spite." He rolled his eyes. "Or am I actually allowed to touch your creation?" Honestly, Mukuro had never come across another individual with the knack of coming across every bit as insufferable as he could.

Hibari's expression hardened when he looked to him. "If you're _not_ going to help, then I suggest you move out of the way." He went to grab a tray, setting dishes meticulously in line.

"Are you anal retentive by any chance?" Mukuro picked up the batter, swirling it around in the bowl once to ensure the uniformity before tilting it to one side and pouring it in painstakingly exactly. "Or maybe you are challenged by sarcasm comprehension?"

At that point, the teacher finally made his way over to them, expression disapproving. "What's going on here? It sounds like you're bickering, and despite how good the food smells here, your cooperation skills need work, or else you're missing the point of the assignment. Hibari-kun, I expected better from you; I _know _you're confident in what you're doing, and I trust you know better than anyone else here, but you'll never get anywhere if you can't get along." Mukuro resisted the urge to nod reprovingly along with what the teacher was saying.

Hibari frowned, taking the teacher's reprimand. "Yes, sensei. I apologize." He looked to Mukuro then, staring for a moment before he spoke again. "My apologies, Rokudo."

"And Rokudo-kun." The teacher frowned a bit. "Stop giving him reason _to_ bicker with you."

"Sensei, I do apologize. My actions were out of line." Mukuro had to give the teacher credit. He was more astute that he would have originally thought. "Though, if I may? It sounds as if you already know Hibari-kun. He is skilled beyond everyone else in the class, I think." _Possibly even you._

Hibari's eyes narrowed before he quirked a brow at the roundabout compliment. Mukuro was getting dangerously close to personal information now, even more so than before. Knowing the teacher, he had all of three seconds left to relish under the cover of ignorance.

"Oh, did you not know? Hibari-kun runs a restaurant. It's fairly popular amongst students, actually." The teacher gave Hibari a pat on the back, as if to say he does good work.

Mukuro's sparkling eyes spoke volumes of bad things for Hibari. "Oya, oya, so Hibari really does know what he is doing in the kitchen~. How fortunate of me, an utter novice, to have been paired up with such a master." A passive expression was trained on Mukuro as Hibari repressed all irritation and annoyance towards the indigo-haired male he had as a partner as he spoke.

"Oh, excuse me, I should let you two get back to cooking. I'm looking forward to sampling your dishes, both of you. Now, please, cooperate before I have to treat you as school children," the teacher said, waving as he moved to the next group that undoubtedly needed his help.

After a brief moment, Mukuro promptly broke the silence. "Do you happen to have any job openings~?"

"No." Hibari's tone revealed absolutely nothing.

Mukuro's eyes lingered on the teacher for a moment before turning around to observe Hibari. "Pleasant man, is he not? If you are already good enough to manage a popular restaurant, why in the world would you want to take this class?"

"This isn't my major," Hibari stated, completely uninterested as he poured the remainder of the batter into their proper cups and pushing the trays into the oven.

Mukuro eyed Hibari. "You do not like people, do you?" He was greeted with silence. "Cooking is a service business, you know. What are you actually majoring in? Forensic science~?" He gave a small chuckle, setting the timer on the oven for ten minutes to conduct a check on them first.

Hibari sighed, washing his hands and wiping them off on the cloth before answering. "No. Economics." He really didn't know why he was even bothering to answer Mukuro.

"Suits you. Lifeless, unexciting and such."

Another frown from Hibari. "Don't act as if you know me."

"Ah, but here is where first impressions are important."

"First impressions are unreliable." Very much so, if Hibari had something to say about it. He didn't bother elaborating though.

Mukuro popped half a chocolate bar off, just nibbling at it mindlessly. "You have yet to prove me otherwise about my first judgments of you, so that is hardly convincing."

"I don't care what your first impressions of me are." Hibari questioned why he was even putting up with Mukuro again.

"Clearly, you care enough to want to prove me wrong."

"Oh, and what gave you that impression?" Hibari's expression made it clear that he wasn't lowing his guard simply to prove Mukuro wrong.

"Just a notion I have after you contradict every statement I have said thus far." Mukuro took out a bag of marshmallows, wrinkling his nose a little before passing it to Hibari. "Do you want it?"

Hibari stared at the bag of marshmallows before looking back up at Mukuro. "Why would I?"

"Why would you not? I can play this game with you all day if you would like."

"It's rude to answer a question with a question," the raven-haired male replied, tossing the bag back to him.

"Is that not what you just did?"

Hibari pursed his lips, amused. "Perhaps."

"So would you like a marshmallow or no?"

"No. I don't understand why you would give it to me regardless," Hibari sighed, glancing around, finally, to look at what the other groups were up to. It looked like one group had burned their cake.

"As a peace offering, perhaps? Without a job, I would be in rather dire straits." Across the room, a rather tall, stocky looking jock was attempting to fan his flaming cake with a cutting board; Mukuro was barely able to suppress a laugh at the panicked expression

"And what makes you think we have any open positions?" Hibari's attention was not on Mukuro, instead he was chuckling at the other group's mess. He'd make sure they'd clean it up later. He raises a brow as he catches a girl looking over at them before she turned away quickly upon seeing Hibari watching.

"You could make an exception as the owner, could you not?" Mukuro turned around to check the timer, pretending not to notice how normal Hibari looked—if not a touch sadistic—when he laughed.

Hibari took a moment to really look at Mukuro then, as if actually seeing him for the first time. "Tell me why I would do that. If I made an exception to you, others would start piling in."

Mukuro gave a scoff, half-jokingly insulted. "Your target consumer is your average student, correct? I would be lying if I said I lack charm."

"No," Hibari repeated. He really wasn't looking for another insufferable staff member. "Anyways, the cakes should be ready." He tossed Mukuro a pair of oven mitts as the timer went off.

"If you get the plates ready, I will prepare the ice cream side." Mukuro slipped the mitts on, opening the oven door to a gust of heated air, looking away for a moment before taking the tray out. "May I know the name of your upstanding institution at least?"

For once, Hibari nodded without complaint, getting dishes out for ice cream and to set each selection on. He made sure to get the tub of ice cream and the powdered sugar too. "I'd rather not tell you."

"Am I really so suspicious~?" Mukuro wrenched open the lid, spinning around to fill a cup with water and grabbing an ice cream scoop out of the utensils drawer. Dipping the scoop in once, he carved out a picture perfect ball of vanilla, dropping it delicately to the side of the plate. Dipping the scoop in again and rinsing off any lingering ice cream, he repeated the process until the line of dishes each had two.

Hibari gave a small laugh at that. "Find out yourself." While Mukuro scooped out the ice cream, Hibari followed after by breaking pieces of chocolate and placing them gingerly atop each scoop until they finished. He didn't waste any time in preparing the powder, making quick work of it and carefully flaking it over each cake. He handed Mukuro a clean cloth so that the other could wipe the excess sugar off the sides of each bowl before placing them on the plates with the ice cream and a spoon.

"It would be easier if you would just tell me~." Mukuro ran cold water along the sides of each ramekin, cooling the ceramic container so that it could be held onto without any heat protection, finally placing it on the plate as well. He looked over the whole composition critically. "Should we add some whipped cream on top of the cake?" Not that their creation wasn't already leagues ahead of their classmates.

Hibari pointedly ignored Mukuro's statement. It wasn't as if he was purposely making it more difficult for him. Hibari just hated others knowing too much about him. "No, the ice cream is enough."

"Hm." Though he did take some more of the powdered sugar and drop it around the cup to decorate the plate a little more. The clock in the classroom indicated that they had finished with just over a minute to spare. Mukuro turned on the tap and doused their used bowls and utensils with water so that it'd be easier to clean off later.

The teacher called time, much to the dismay of several groups who hadn't managed to complete their dessert on time, stuck on various stages in the process. Hibari and Mukuro set the sample plates in the center and they each branched off again, Hibari content with overlooking the hustle and Mukuro right at the forefront of the crusade, more than glad to devour anything chocolate based.

Mukuro had to give Hibari his dues. The recipe of the arrogant raven-haired male was goddamn divine.

* * *

><p>Hibari trudged towards the cafe quietly. He was glad it was getting late; it was almost time to close, but there was still two hours left to work. Better to just get it over with. He was tired, but upon reaching for the door, he straightened and took a calming breath to brace himself for the relatively moderate noise level. He'd prefer it if it was quieter, of course, but there wasn't that much he could do with a bar downstairs. Luckily, the lights were dimmed down at night, and it was a cozy place, which helped keep people in line. He greeted his workers and customers politely with a smile, trudging right on past Dino and going straight upstairs.<p>

Dino's eyes shot to the door as it opened again, letting in a cold autumn draft. A normal looking couple and a young man with dark indigo hair and a shockingly bright red eye made their way towards the blond. A wide grin spread on Dino's face as he waved.

"Mitsuno-dono, Mitsuno-san, good evening! It's nice seeing you both again! And you are...?" Dino turned to Mukuro, offering a hand, deciding not to comment on his unnaturally red eye.

"Their son, Rokudo Mukuro." He gave a calm smile as he took his hand, shaking it firmly. "Are you a foreigner, Dino-san?"

"Eh? You know my name already?" Dino gave a laugh.

"You have a name tag."

Dino looked down, his expression akin to 'oh, right.' He gave Mukuro an embarrassed smile before answering. "I'm a citizen here, but I came from Italy."

"Italian, huh~. So am I, since I'm the Mitsuno's adopted son."

Mukuro's adoptive mother interjected then. "Dino-san, is your boss in tonight?"

"Ah, yes, sorry Mitsuno-dono. Yes, Hibari-san just got here. Should I tell him you're looking for him?" Dino asked, smiling all the while.

Nobody noticed Mukuro perking, stance completely different from what it had been a moment ago at the mention of that name. "Hibari, as in Hibari Kyouya?"

His mother nodded, smile complacent. "He's polite, kind and quite lovely. He gets it all from his mother. Oh, and yes, Dino-san, that would be wonderful of you."

Dino looked as if he was about to inquire as to how Mukuro knew Hibari, but he shrugged it off and nodded, leaving the bar momentarily to go upstairs.

"Oi, Kyouya, the Mitsuno's are here to talk to you." Dino rapped twice on the door that lead to Hibari's room, leaning against the wall as he waited for Hibari to answer. Hibari answered the door after changing into a more formal attire, nodding and following Dino downstairs. Another worker, a brunet, approached Hibari as they turned the corner, nodding as Hibari gave him instructions.

"Mitsuno-dono, Mitsuno-san, it's a pleasure to see you here this ev—" Hibari began, only to cut off short, eyes widening, upon seeing a familiar indigo-haired male. He stiffened. "Rokudo-san, what a pleasure to see you again."

Mukuro didn't bother to hide his canines—metaphorically speaking, of course—in his reply. "The pleasure is all mine, Hibari-san. Ah, but why so formal? You may call me Mukuro." It was all he could do to not grit his teeth and hiss out a sarcastic remark. Keeping up the pleasantries facade was quite taxing.

"I've only just met you, Rokudo-san. First name basis seems a bit... Rude." Hibari glanced towards Dino, as if he could reprimand Dino for calling him Kyouya earlier with that glance.

"You have forgotten me already? I am terribly wounded by this."

"One class period is hardly enough time to properly befriend someone." The raven turned to the Mitsuno's and bowed. "I apologize for ignoring you. To what do I owe you the pleasure tonight?"

Mukuro's mother gave a sweet smile and ruffled Hibari's hair. "You've grown into such a fine man since I'd last seen you. I think it was right before we took in Mukuro, in fact. But it's reassuring for me to know that you two are already acquainted with each other. I actually came this late to ask a favor of you." During this, Mukuro purposefully engaged a full-scale staring match with the vase at the end of the hall.

Hibari fused over his hair for a moment, forcing himself to smile and give a small laugh as he tried to straighten his hair again. He glanced at Mukuro and quirked a brow. "I don't believe this is a suitable place to speak, at a bar and with people around, nonetheless. Please, come join me upstairs. Dino, I trust you not to break another glass."

Dino gave a sheepish smile, recognizing that what Hibari said was in all probability the most likely outcome if he stayed around for a few minutes longer. "Sure thing, Hibari-san."

"Upstairs? Is that where you're living now, Kyouya-kun?" She moved to follow Hibari, husband tagging along behind without a word, as per usual. Mukuro glanced around to take in the exits and other noticeable fixtures before making his way to the corner of the restaurant and up the stairwell.

Hibari shook his head. "I have an apartment, though it is convenient. I simply prefer to invite guests such as you upstairs to sit." He smiled politely, standing as he gestured to the sofa in the lounge. "Please, by all means, sit."

The family of three sat, the couple sitting together on a love seat and Mukuro taking a strange cube-like fixture. Mukuro's mother rambled on, "I love the furnishing you've done up here."

"I'm glad you do. It is for our workers to enjoy themselves, after all." Hibari seated himself across from Mukuro's parents. "You said you had a favor to ask of me?"

"Ah, yes. You already know that Mukuro here has an interest in the service industry and that he goes to your college. Well, he was saying earlier how he'd like to get a job to pay for books and food and I immediately thought that this would be a perfect place for him!" The whole while she said this, the same quasi-happy smile adorned her face.

Hibari had to refrain from cringing. "Ah, unfortunately, we're not looking for applications right now," he replied, trailing off near the end of his sentence.

"Mukuro won't be a burden for you. He's good with food, good with people, and he needs the money." The man in question was still staring pointedly, this time at a painting on the wall, rather unwilling to acknowledge the fact that he even needed to bring out his adoptive mother of all people to talk for him. "Besides, it may sounds trivial to you now, but when your mother was still alive, we'd talk about how her son would inherit the restaurant—"

Hibari held up a hand, silently asking for her to stop. "Please, that's enough."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **They're quite the friendly pair, aren't they, those two? Lumi and I are planning to update once every two-weeks at the very least, and since we have slightly under ten chapters written, it looks like you guys won't be kept waiting for too long. If you do review, we'll guarantee a reply.

—_NaiYin_


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